The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-03-21


Mr. Charles Francis Adams, president of
the Union Pacific Railroad, and for many
years a member of the Massachusetts, rail-
road commission expressed to the CONNER
cial Club in Boston on Saturday, some inter
esting views on the interstate commerce
bill. He touched on some of the features of
theI bill that was debated in the Maine Leg
islature last week; for the State commerce
bill before our Legislature was modelled, in
its main features, after the interstate COM
merce bill. Mr.. Adams designates three
features of the bill that excite special COM
ment: the ''long and short haul' provis-
ions; the prohibition of all rebates, draw
backs and secret arrangements with ship
pers; and the prohibition of pooling. These
first two features were also features
of the bill before the Maine House,
and the particular features over
which there was most controversy in the
debate. This is Mr.. Adams opinion of the
"long and short haul" provision:
think may say that as railroad commission
er, was almost the father of what is known as
the long and short haul clause ! have always
maintained that the uncontrolled competition of
tendency of concentrating business at given points
and in a few hands. The geographical point
which did not have the advantage of
against the point which did have that advantage
SO, also, the man who controlled small bust
ness could not hold his own against the man who
controlled large business. The traffic of the
large shipper would always be sought for on
terms more advantageous than the smaller ship
per could command. AS commissioner, i al
ways maintained that this was wrong; as a rail-
road president IL maintain it is wrong today.
that the inter. state commerce bl is likely pro-
duce any serious or injurious results when II says
that no railroad company shall charge more for
longer haul than 1t doss for shorter haul, which
is included in the longer haul under conditions
substantially the same; want to see this pro-
vision Of the act brought into practical operation
am not afraid of it. 1t is substantially Just
In regard to the next feature, the prohibi-
ton Of the rebates, drawbacks and secret
arrangements, Mr.. Adams gives this opinion
do not hesitate to put myself on record as say
Ing that this IS right, and should be law, and if il
has not been law before, am glad 1t is now. No
one has suffered more than the railroads them
selves from this system OF rebates and drawbacks
and secret arrangements. 1t has been a crying
wrong. 1t should have been remeded years ago
IL is well that ii is about to be remedied now.
The third feature Of the bill, the prohibit
ton of contracts by which competing roads
divide their earnings, in other words the
prohibition Of pooling, seems to Mr.. Adams
radically bad. A railroad pool, he says, is
simply check, and not very effective
one, which is put upon the great law of the
survival Of the fttest." If pooling is pro-
hibited, the weaker roads will be driven to
the wall and finally swallowed up by the
stronger. In other words, he believes that
this clause will hasten still more the pro-
cess OF consolidation, which seems already
to be going on with a fair degree of celebrity
ameng the railroads of the country